Switch front plate.



-S. F. BHIGGS.

SWITCH FRONT PLATE. APPucATLoN mio sEPT.13, 1915.

Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

:as ca rnomunm.. unaniem. n,

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

STEPHEN E. BEIGGS, 0E MILWAUKEE, WIscoNsIN, AssIGNoE To BEIGGS a sTEATToN COMPANY, or MILWAUKEE, WIscoNsIN, A CORPORATION. or WIscoNsIN.

SWITCH FRONT PLATE.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented oet. s, 191s.

Application tiled September 13, 1915. Serial No. 50,539.

To all/whom t may concern.' n

Be it known that I, STEPHEN F.' Barcos, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Switch Front Plates, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

yThis invention has for its object to provide a simple means for connecting the ornamental polished front-plate of a switch with the switch frame in such `a kmanner as to be invisible'and not detract from the ornamental appearance. I

With this object in view the invention consists in so forming the front-plate that the openings for .the vsecurin screws are countersunk and receive tu ular rivets through which may pass the securingscrews for holding the switch to the dash-.board of an automolbile or other support, thus permitting the'heads of the securing screws to lie substantially flush with the polished surface of the front-plate and entirely obscure the connecting means.

lVith the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the front-plate connector for switches as herein claimed and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in different views:

Figure 1 is the front view of a switch front-plate provided with a connecting means of this invention, one corner thereof bein broken away to show the construction of tiiie switch frame and the connecting means therefor;

F ig. 2 is a rear view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the switch frame and its front-plate; and,

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view through one of. the front-plate connectors showing the securing screw in dotted lines.

In these drawings 10 indicates an ornamental front-plate for a switch such as an ignition and lighting switch for automobiles and the like, though the invention is not.

confined to switches for any articular purose. In the switch shown t is ornamental ont-plate consists of a thin sheet metal plate pressed to form a flanged edge with a deep bevel so that the main portion of uw.. ...t

the front-plate is spaced from the surface of the dash-board or other switch panel to which it is fitted and behind the switch late is secured the front of the switch rame 11 which'may include a switch box 12 containing the switch mechanism not shown. At each corner the front-plate 10 has a depressed or countersunk opening 13 terminating in an internal annular flange 14 while each corner 15 of the front portion of the switch frame 11 is bent downwardly or offset to a plane parallel with said front portion so as to bear against the rear surface of the flange 14 while said main portion of the front of the frame preferably, though not necessarily, bears against the rear of the main portion of the front plate as shown to reinforce it. These offset corners l5 have openings in alinement with the openings within the fianges 14 and tubular rivets 16 pass through such alined openings with their ends overturned against the front of the flanges 14 and against the rear of the corners 15 of the switch frame respectively to securely hold the front-plate to the switch frame. The securing screws 1/ for securing the switch to its support pass through the tubular rivets 16 with their heads occupying the depressed or countersunk portion of the openings 13 in front of the rivets 16 so that said rivets are entirely hidden from view.

The switch front-plate securing means of this invention may be quickly and easily applied without danger of marring the p0lished surface of the front-plate as when rivets or screws are employed for the urpose and are entirely hidden from view. The rear flanges of the tubular rivets are preferably Vin the plane of the bearing edge of the surrounding flange of the front-plate so as to bear against the surface to which the front-plate is secured and thus the tightening of the securing screws 17 may beeffected without danger of dishing or warping the thin sheet metal front as the pressure of the heads of the securing screws is taken directly by the tubular rivets in bearing contact with the surface of the support.

By means of the invention the frontplate and switch frame construction may be made strong and durable with a low cost of manufacture and the front-plate may be neat and ornamental in its appearance with out showing its securing means,

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A front plate connector for switches, comprising the combination with a ront plate having cylindrical depressions with internal langes of a switch frame behind the Jfront plate, and tubular rivets connecting the switch frame with the front plate and having external flanges contained Within the cylindrical depressions and seated on the internal flanges thereof, said cylindrical depressions adapted to contain the heads of securing screws to hide the rivets from View.

2. A switch front-plate connector, oomprising the combination with a front-plate having a cylindrical depression with an internal flange, of a switch frame bearing against the rear of the internal ange, a tubular rivet connecting the internal flange with the switch frame and adapted to receive a securing screw and be hidden from view by the head thereof contained within the depression of the front-plate.

3. A switch front-plate connector, comprising the combination with a-langed frontplate having a countersunk opening forming a recess with an internal flange, of a switch frame hearing against the rear of the internal flange, a tubular rivet connecting the internal flange with the switch frame, the rear surface of the tubluar rivet lying in the saine plane as the edge of the front-plate to bear against a supporting surface to which the front-plate is secured, and a securing screw passing through the tubular rivet with its head contained in the recess of the countersunk opening of the front-plato and bearing against the tubular rivet.

4. A switch front-plate connector inprising the combination with an ornamental flanged front-plate having depressed or countersunk openings forming recesses with internal flanges, of a switch frame having a front portion bearing against the rear surface of the front plate and olfset portions bearing against the internal flanges of the recesses of the front plate and having openings registering with the openings of the front plate, tubular rivets passing through said openings and having external flanges engaging the internal flanges of the front plate and the rear surface of the offset portions of the switch frame respectively, and securing screws passing through the tubular rivets with their heads fitting within the recesses of the front-plate and bearing a ainst the tubular rivets and hiding'the tidmlar rivets from view.

In testimony whereof, I alix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN F. BRIGGS. lVitnesses:V

KATHERINE Hour,

R. S. C. CALDWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

